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Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 8 · Chapter 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord

8.21.32 8.21.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.21.33

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.21.25inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

वृथा मनोरथस्तस्य दूर: स्वर्ग: पतत्यध: ।

प्रतिश्रुतस्यादानेन योऽर्थिनं विप्रलम्भते ॥ ३३ ॥

vṛthā manorathas tasya

dūraḥ svargaḥ pataty adhaḥ

pratiśrutasyādānena

yo ’rthinaṁ vipralambhate

Translation

Far from being elevated to the heavenly planets or fulfilling one’s desire, one who does not properly give a beggar what he has promised falls down to a hellish condition of life.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor What You Promise to Give

1
One must properly give a beggar what one has promised.
2
Failing to fulfill that promise does not bring elevation to the heavenly planets or fulfillment of one’s desire.
3
The verse warns that such failure leads instead to a hellish condition of life.

How it feels

Public loss and humiliation → Total surrender. An apparent external defeat conceals a devotional triumph.

Chapters 19–23 of Canto 8: Vāmana tests Bali; Bali offers everything. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Bali Mahārāja was thus reduced to a helpless position, Lord Viṣṇu asked him for the third step of land. Because Lord Viṣṇu appreciated Bali Mahārāja’s determination and integrity, when Bali Mahārāja was unable to fulfill his promise, Lord Viṣṇu ascertained that the place for him would be the planet Sutala, which is better than the planets of heaven.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.21